Surgical Resident Decapitated

(In Houston)…Hitoshi Nikaidoh, 35, was stepping into a second-floor elevator at Christus St. Joseph Hospital Saturday morning when the doors suddenly closed, pinning his shoulders. His head was severed when the elevator car moved upward.

A hospital employee witnessed the accident and spent about 20 minutes trapped inside the elevator before firefighters rescued her. She was treated for shock in the hospital’s emergency room…

If somebody’s head gets sheared off into the elevator I’m in, you’d need to treat me for shock, too.

This is a terrible tragedy. I’ll never get on an elevator the same again (I’m going to be a lot more respectful of the closing doors).

A friend of mine at UT med school knew this guy, apparently he was very well liked, very popular, very successful. Not that I’m saying that if it was an illiterate janitor it would be less of a tragedy…but you know. I really hope there is an investigation of this. Our elevators scare me (I work across the street from the decapitee.)